IP Law Daily, TRADE SECRETS NEWS: Raymond Corporation says 3M used its warehouse lift safety trade secrets in patent applications, (Jan 7, 2026)

By Steven Melendez

The company, which makes lift trucks used by warehouse pickers, says 3M misappropriated trade secrets around wireless tracking for safety harnesses.

The Raymond Corporation sued 3M Company in New York federal court, alleging the misappropriation of trade secrets related to using wireless technology to monitor safety harnesses for warehouse lifts (Raymond Corp. v. 3M Co., No. 3:26-cv-00001-FJS-ML (N.D.N.Y. filed Jan. 2, 2026)).

Background. Raymond Corporation, which operates a manufacturing facility in Greene, New York, makes forklifts and specialized lift trucks called order picker trucks used in warehouses. The trucks are compatible with third-party safety harnesses to protect users from falling, and some include technology to alert users with lights or sounds if the harness isn’t properly connected, according to the complaint filed in the case. Makers of safety harnesses include 3M.

Some Raymond order picker trucks can include a telemetry system called iWAREHOUSE Telematics System to collect and monitor data about the truck. In 2020, Raymond began developing technology to let third-party equipment including safety harnesses integrate with iWAREHOUSE, according to the complaint.

In early September 2021, at the request of a large customer, Raymond and 3M began discussions about improving compatibility between Raymond’s order picker trucks and 3M’s safety harnesses. The companies held a first conference call on September 7, 2021, agreeing that discussions would be confidential, and signed a confidentiality agreement as of September 17, 2021, according to the complaint.

During subsequent meetings, Raymond proposed using a wireless technology such as Bluetooth to integrate the 3M harness with the iWAREHOUSE system. According to the complaint, progress on the discussions stalled after discussions through November 2021, as 3M argued against the wireless option.

“3M argued that this was not a viable solution,” according to the complaint. “Instead, 3M proposed an alternative technical solution wherein the safety harness would communicate directly with the order picker truck via a wired connection, and include a secondary connection via a pedal or side gate.”

3M patent applications. Prior to the meetings with Raymond, 3M had filed patent applications related to a wired harness integrated with a monitoring system. That includes U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/217,806, filed in July 2021, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/232,388, filed in August 2021, according to the complaint.

But on Feb. 4, 2022, after the meetings between the companies, Raymond alleges, 3M filed U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/306,548, which “discloses and claims the technical solution that Raymond confidentially proposed to 3M in September 2021: a safety harness that connects wirelessly to a telemetry system, rather than communicating directly with an order picker truck via a wired connection.”

After filing that application, Raymond alleges, 3M changed its stance about the viability of a wireless connection between the harness and telemetry system. In a May 10, 2022, conference call between the companies, 3M agreed to move forward with a Bluetooth connection design, and the two companies moved forward with the idea for several months, according to the complaint.

On June 22, 2022, 3M filed an international Patent Cooperation Treaty application, PCT Patent Application No. PCT/IB2022/055787, with the same specification as the ‘548 application. On January 5, 2023, that application was published as International Publication Number WO 2023/275675 A2. Raymond soon became aware of 3M using what it calls “its concepts, conveyed confidentially, in 3M’s patent filings” and the two companies negotiated a possible settlement for more than a year, according to the complaint.

During the negotiations, 3M also filed a U.S. National Stage Application assigned Serial No. 18/569,273 and a continuation application that claimed priority to the ’273 Application and was assigned Serial No. 18/419,005. Application”). As of July 29, 2025, the ’005 Application issued as U.S. Patent No. 12,371,311 B2, and on September 30, 2025, the ’273 Application issued as U.S. Patent No. 12,428,278 B2, according to the complaint. After the second patent was issued, 3M allegedly cut off negotiations.

Claims. Raymond alleges misappropriation of trade secrets under the federal Defend Trade Secrets Act, misappropriation of trade secrets under New York state law, and breach of contract in reference to the confidentiality agreement. The alleged misappropriation includes disclosure of Raymond’s alleged trade secrets in the various patent applications.

The company seeks injunctive relief including barring further use of Raymond’s trade secrets, and an award of damages, attorney fees, interest, and costs.

The Case is No. 3:26-cv-00001-FJS-ML.

Judge: Scullin, Jr., F.

Attorneys: Austin David O'Malley (Husch Blackwell LLP) for Raymond Corp.

Companies: Raymond Corp.; 3M Co.; 3M Innovative Properties Co.

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